In a rust-red stable on the outskirts of Campbellville, Ont., insurance and clients are the furthest thing from John Dargie’s mind.
Hay and hooves are the priority, as a chestnut gelding pokes its nose out of its stall to greet the president of Mississauga, Ont.-based Independent Financial Bro-kers of Canada. When Dargie is at the stables, it’s his job to ensure The Prowler, as the gelding is called — along with Dargie’s other half-dozen or so racehorses — are fed, groomed and in good spirits for their races on the weekends.
Among the horses in Powell Stables, the horse-racing operation that Dargie has co-owned with full-time horse trainer Jack Powell since 1982, The Prowler is one of Dargie’s favourites.
“He’s the pretty boy of the bunch,” says Dargie. “He’s not shy about going after what he wants, which is why he is a winner.”
After getting one carrot, the gelding retreats into his stall and pins back his ears, horsespeak for “Leave me alone while I work on this.” But after a few more “messages” conveyed by moving around his stall, its clear The Prowler is ready for another carrot. Dargie complies.
“Horses are just like people,” says Dargie, “They all have their own personalities. And if we want them to win, we also need to know what keeps them happy.”
Dargie’s love of horse racing goes way back. During his childhood in Cooksville, now part of Mississauga, Dargie and his brother would spend their weekends on a friend’s farm in nearby Erindale. There, a horse trainer taught them to drive sulkies — small, lightweight, two-wheeled carts pulled by the horses.
“There’s a type of rush you get racing in a sulk,” says Dargie, “that you can’t get anywhere else.”
It was 1982 when Dargie, his brother and Powell bought their first racehorse. Since then, Powell Stables has grown into a full-scale racing operation in which Dargie and Powell have their horses on a training regime. Each horse is taken out of the stable three times daily for exercise, 10 laps around the half-mile track. The horses also get playtime, during which they are free to frolic in a large, grassy, fenced-off area.
For years, training horses has been an escape for Dargie. When he was building his career, this pursuit provided a break from the office and a busy family life. Now that many of Dargie’s work obligations have been scaled back and his children are grown, he is able to devote more time to this longtime passion: “I’m not the type of guy who likes to go home and watch TV in the evenings.”
Horse racing also is an investment and a lesson in patience. Often, Dargie and Powell will take short trips to scout for new colts that have the potential to race. Colts are brought in by the age of one and are ready for racing by the age of three. While a colt may be the offspring of a well-known, winning stallion or mare, there is no guarantee the colt will be a winner.
“Horses need more than physical stature to win races,” Dargie says. “They have to have brains and heart if they really want to beat other horses to the finish line.”
One of the most memorable horses that Dargie has raised was a grey gelding that no trainer seemed to want, due to his small stature. His name was Howling Brad, for the sounds he emitted while pacing.
In Howling Brad’s first race at the now-defunct Greenwood Race Track in Toronto, he started out in last place but won the race by 12 lengths.
“After that, everybody on the race circuit knew who Howling Brad was,” says Dargie. “We always had to register him a few minutes before every race, or else no one would enter their horses.”
As Dargie sits in the trainers’ cafeteria at Mohawk Race Track in Campbellville, Ont., he can’t take a single bite into his western omelet sandwich without someone interrupting to say hello and ask about his upcoming races.
Dargie doesn’t mind. Aside from the horses, it’s the people that make up the horse racing community whom he loves — the friendly rivalry, the sense of community: “It’s where I feel at home.” IE